To be A King's Wife
by R.K. Binx
Summary: Teal, barely sixten, and her best friend Jessica travel to Hallow Hill to enjoy a relaxing summer vacation. But Marak Blackfeather, the new Goblin King, has other plans for the two girls...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: The House on Hallow Hill**

From as long ago as she could remember, Teal had known that she was somehow different from the rest of her family. For one thing, she had black eyes; Piercing black eyes that shone brightly, lighting up her pale face, while the rest of her family had blue eyes. The hair that fell in layered locks around her face was deep brown, almost black and framed her face with bouncy side bangs that partially covered her right eye, much unlike the blonde hair that was characteristic of her family. The pale face underneath her dark hair was fair and pretty. Teal knew that she wasn't extremely beautiful, but she also knew she wasn't ugly either. She didn't let it bother her.

She was barely sixteen of average height and a thin build. She favored jeans and t-shirts more than anything else and usually wore dark blues or greens.

Teal was usually very bubbly, always joking and laughing. But she could be serious too, even though she tried not to show it much. Only her closest friends and family knew how she would get when she went off into her dreamland where she could spend hours y herself writing or reading, or simply just thinking. She was uncomfortable with the fake appearance she put off, but found herself unable to shake it off. That was one reason she was thankful for this trip with Jess. Where she could just be herself and let down her think emotional wall that she used to guard herself from what others thought of her. She knew that this trip was just the thing she needed.

This year, for her summer vacation, her parents had agreed to send Teal and her best friend, Jessica to England to stay with a distant cousin that lived in a place called Hallow Hill. Teal thought the name sounded strange, like that of a ghost town, but kept her worries to herself. Her mother had assured her that it was a perfectly serene place in the country, away from all the havoc of city life. Teal knew she would be grateful for the change.

It had been a while since they had boarded the plane in New York, and Teal had already fallen asleep twice, only to be woken up again by the harsh turbulence from the storm that their plane was flying through.

A particularly strong jet of turbulence hit the plane, causing Teal to hit her head against the window.

"Ouch!" She said, rubbing her head when the turbulence was over.

"What happened?" Jessica asked, yawning. Teal couldn't believe that she had actually slept through the last ten jolts of turbulence. Jessica was two inches shorter than Teal with dirty blonde hair, but she had an air about that gave the impression you were looking up at her. She was loud, most of the time and happened to blurt out the first things that came to her mind. She was a fairly good actress, but her Bright blue eyes usually gave her away. She was Teal's closest friend.

"A storm." Teal answered.

"But you said ouch…" Jessica prompted.

"Cause I hit my head." Teal said, feeling the back of her head again. Sure enough, she could feel a small bump beginning to form.

"Oh," Jess said, "Do you know if we're close yet? I'm tried of flying."

"I have no idea." Teal answered. She wished she had her ipod to listen to. But, since the war in Iraq was still going on, the airlines wanted to be as careful as they could. Technology was getting so advanced these days. Teal was wondering how it was possible to fit a bomb inside her ipod nano, when suddenly there was another jolt of turbulence.

"Ugh, I wish I was still asleep!" Jess said angrily, clinging to her armrests. Teal thought she looked quite funny, but it was best not to make fun of Jess when she was this irritable.

A voice came on over the loud-speaker.

"We will be arriving in London in approximately two hours."

There was a series of loud cheering from the tired passengers who, by now, were quite tired of the plane.

Teal sighed heavily. _Only one more hour of feeling like my stomach's being ripped out of me, _she thought to herself.

"So where are we going from the airport?" Jess asked Teal, collecting the magazines that had fallen onto the floor and between their seats. _Our section is starting to look like my room, _Teal thought, quietly laughing to herself. At least they hadn't spilled anything.

"Umm, I think my…cousin? no, some distant relative named George is picking u up and taking us to Hallow Hill." Teal answered. She thought she remembered her mother saying he was her cousin, but she couldn't quite remember.

"Oh…okay." Jess answered distractedly. "Geez, how many magazines did we bring?"

Teal laughed, "Like twenty, I think." They both laughed.

SSssSSssSSssSS

London was even prettier than Teal had imagined it. Immediately when she got her first glance at the rain-covered city from the large windows in the airport, she knew she would love it here. She watched people hurry down the streets through the rain, and cars zoom by. She could only imagine that the quiet country-side would be even more beautiful.

"Uh, excuse me," Said a tall man wearing a suit, "But are you Miss Teal Dawkins?" The man had ruffled brown hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled even in the dim light of the airport.

"Yes," Teal answered, shaking his hand, "And you must be George." Teal was somewhat startled when he laughed at her.

"No, I'm his son, Danny." He said.

"Oh…sorry." Teal said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it." He said good-naturedly, "Hey, I thought I heard my father say that you'd have a friend with you."

"Oh, well Jess went to the bathroom, but I'm sure she'll be back in a minute or so." Teal replied hastily. Actually, Jess had been gone for at lest ten minutes, and Teal was beginning to wonder if maybe she had gotten lost.

An awkward silence followed which was broken by Jess's sudden return. She had large paper bag in her arms and a cup of hot cocoa.

"I got hungry." She said when she caught Teal's surprised glance.

"And bought a feast." Teal said, eyeing the huge bag. Jess laughed at her.

"This isn't food. I saw the gift shop and got a blue sweatshirt for me, and a black one for you." She dug into the bag and pulled out a black pull-over hoodie bearing "LONDON" in large gold print across the front. Underneath "London", there was a small design, also in gold.

Teal thanked Jess and then introduced her to Danny, who nodded at her.

"I have a car waiting outside to take us back to the house. I hope you don't mind, it'll be an hour drive at least." Danny said. He sounded like he wanted to leave, so Teal and Jess quickly gathered their belongings, with some help from Danny with the bigger bags, and headed outside where a black car was waiting for them.

Danny spoke to the driver in quick French, and then helped the girls into the backseat.

"I'll be driving in my own car, so I'll meet you there." He said, shutting the door and hurrying off to the parking lot.

It was soon dark outside, so Teal and Jess settled to telling the driver all about America, which he seemed very interested in. He couldn't speak very good English, but Teal and Jess knew enough French to be able to figure out what exactly he was saying.

" 'ere we are, ladies. Hallow Hill." He said, gesturing to the area around them. It was dark, and hard to see the detail in the landscape around them, but from what they could see, they knew it was beautiful.

They stopped in front of a three-story house that was white with a comfortable air around it. Teal thought that she'd like it here.

They had entered the house only to be bombarded by distant relatives of Teal's. The older women fawned over both the girls, and introduced themselves as Aunt Malaya, Aunt Corrina, Aunt Joanna, Aunt Emily, Aunt Margaret, Great-Aunt Maribell, and Great-Aunt Clara. The latter three explained that the would only be staying for one day, to make sure the girls were comfortable. After an hour, the Aunts decided it was much too late for proper ladies to be awake and showed them to their bedrooms on the second floor.

Teal, exhausted after her long day, had only lay in her bed, and seconds later was fast asleep. Unsettling nightmares filled her dreams.

SSssSSssSSssSS

The next morning she woke to someone pounding on her door. It was Jessica.

"TEAL!" Jess yelled from the other side of the door, "Hurry up! They made pancakes!"

"Mmmrmph." Teal replied, burying her face in her pillow. She heard the door squeak open, followed by Jess's footsteps.

"Get up!" She said, yanking the blankets off of Teal.

"Fine," Teal said, "I'll be down as soon as I'm dressed."

"Good, and then after breakfast we can go exploring." Jess said, leaving Teal in the room by herself.

Teal was in no hurry to get dressed, and found herself more than once staring out at the woods not too far from the house. Her sense of adventure aroused within her and she made up her mind on her way down to the kitchen that the woods would be the first place she and Jess would go.

Breakfast lasted longer than Teal expected. All of the Aunts and Grand Aunts busily went around the kitchen, preparing for the big dinner that was to be held that evening for Teal's arrival. The Aunts were very nice and made sure that Teal and Jess were more that well-fed. By the time the girls were able to excuse themselves from the hectic kitchen, it was already half past eleven.

"I don't think I'll have room for lunch." Jess groaned as the girls excitedly made their way towards the woods.

"Me neither," Teal agreed, laughing, "I think I ate like five pancakes." The girls entered the woods laughing.

They picked a foot-worn path and followed it deeper into the woods, talking happily and joking.

"So did Danny tell you about the goblins?" Jess asked excitedly.

"No…when were you talking with him?" Teal asked.

"Oh," Jess said, slightly blushing, "I couldn't sleep last night so I went to get some water and there he was."

Teal laughed, "So tell me about these goblins." She prompted, feeling curiosity come over her.

"Well, Danny said that there's a big huge cave somewhere near here—maybe right under the actually hollow hill—where the goblins live." Jess said, smiling, "Danny said that many of the young girls that stay here have disappeared."

"Ha ha, Jess." Teal replied, "You should know that goblins aren't real." The girls had come to a river. Teal sat on a rock, with Jess beside her.

"How do you know?" Jess asked. "I think it'd be rather interesting if we met one, don't you think?"

"Jess! That's absurd. Goblins don't exist—just like dragons and wizards and all that other crap." Teal said, and then added, "It's just a story. Danny made it up to try and scare you."

"Dragons are real." Jess said. Teal laughed at her. She could be so impossible at times.

"Fine, don't believe me." Jess said, "But I'll find a goblin, just you wait."

Teal rolled her eyes.

SSssSSssSSssSS

Teal and Jess decided to go back, just to make sure they had enough time to get ready for the banquet. It was already almost dusk, and the earth around them began to grow dim. They walked most of the way back to the house in silence, which gave Teal time to think.

She studied the trees and breathed in the fresh, clean air. She had never thought that she'd feel so at home in a forest. Teal wondered how long her relatives had lived here, and decided that it'd be best to ask. Maybe they could tell her more about the goblins and the mysterious disappearances Jess had spoke of.

Suddenly, Teal began to feel uneasy. She glanced around her nerviously, but saw nothing. The horrid feeling of being watched crept over her. She thought she could hear a voice from the shadows of the trees.

Before Teal could finish her thought, Jess let out a shriek and jumped away from the tree next to her. Teal, caught by surprise was ripped off her feet by the frantic Jess and feel over rock, hitting the ground hard.

"Ouch," She said, sitting up. "What's the matter with you?" But Jess was staring, horrified into the space behind the tree she had jumped away from.

"Something poked me!" Jess said, pointing to the tree. Teal's stomach felt worse now, and she could sense something terrible in the shadows beyond the tree.

"Jess, you're--"But Teal stopped mid-sentence, cut off by a wicked laugh from behind the tree. She instinctively grabbed Jess's arm and pulled her farther away from the tree. Jess was shaking hard. Teal felt her stomach get queasy. She knew they were in danger.

"Run!" Teal hissed, leading the way. She could hear footfalls behind them, heavy footfalls. Then more voices.

Teal pushed on, dragged the hysterical Jess behind her. They were both gasping for air, and Teal knew that they wouldn't be able to make it to the house before they both would collapse. _To your left, _she thought, _to the clearing on your left. _Without knowing what she was doing, Teal dove into a small circular clearing, dragging Jess down almost on top of her, where they both lay breathless for a couple of seconds.

"Teal, what was that for?" Jess asked, sitting up. They could no longer hear footsteps of voices.

"I tripped." Teal lied. Her reason for jumping into the clearing sounded strange to her, even, and Jess would think she was crazy if Teal told her.

"Clever," said a voice from outside of the clearing. It was a deep, almost musical voice with a booming quality to it.

Teal could hear two more voices, and then the three voices boomed with laughter.

"But what purpose does this serve you, my dear?" The voice was charming, Teal felt herself longing to walk toward the place the voice was coming from.

Teal snapped herself out of the trance. "Go away." She said.

The voice laughed at her. "Demanding little thing, aren't you?" It teased from the darkness. "Come to me," His voice took on a tone of almost musical quality.

Teal felt Jess grab her arm to keep her from walking forward.

The voice laughed again. "You win this time, Teal." It said. And then there were no more voices.

Teal and Jess, still terrified, stayed in the clearing for another hour before they were sure the owners of the voices had gone. They left the clearing in a hurry, running so fast they stumbled on the rocks and branches and ripped their clothes. The low-hanging branches looked like claws, reaching out and scratching the two girls as they ran pell-mell toward the house that they could now see in the distance. Teal felt a stinging sensation on her cheek and reached up to touch it. Blood dripped onto her hands, and she hurriedly wiped it onto her jeans.

_Just great, _She though sourly, _I have blood all over my favorite jeans! _She bit her lower lip to keep from crying from the pain now spreading up her leg. She hadn't even realized that her ankle was sprained until now. She probably wouldn't be able to walk for a week after this.

It seemed like ages before they finally came through the gate that led into the courtyard of the house. Teal, not paying attention to where she was running, ran head-long into a knee-high statue, which sent her sprawling onto the hard gravel. She lay for a couple of seconds, unable to move. She heard the door to the house open and then slam shut, but she didn't try to get up. All she wanted was to close her eyes…

SSssSSssSSssSS


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: In which Teal Makes a Discovery and a Little Girl Comes to Hallow Hill**

There was a tall, cloaked figure. He was always there, watching. Teal would run, but he would always catch her. He would always drag her farther and farther away from the house into that cold, stone prison…

Teal awoke with a start, sitting up so fast that her vision clouded for a couple of seconds. When her vision cleared again, she noted (to her relief) that she wasn't in a cold, stone prison but her room at Hallow Hill house. She did a double-take, just to make sure she wasn't still dreaming and then slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed.

She winced at the coldness of the wood floor, and hurriedly put on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with little pink skulls on it. She slipped on her converse and then, deciding she was kind of cold, put on her dark blue zip-up hoodie.

Teal shut her room door softly behind her and slowly opened the door to Jessica's room. She wasn't there, much to Teal's dismay, so Teal headed quietly down to the kitchen where she could hear her Aunts bustling about. On the last step, Teal tripped, but caught herself on the banister. _Almost twisted my ankle, _She thought, and then her mouth dropped open. She had twisted her ankle that night!

She sat down on the stairs and checked her ankle, making sure nothing was wrong with it. It didn't hurt at all, and it looked fine, so Teal decided that she probably was remembering wrong.

"Nothing's wrong with it," she reassured herself out loud. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized just how hungry she really was…

The big feast! Teal hadn't remembered it until now, and suddenly a feeling of dread washed over her. It had been a dinner in her honor, and she had missed it.

"Aunt Malaya! She's awake!" Aunt Joanna cried happily, hurrying over to Teal and leading her to the table. Aunt Malaya appeared in the doorway with a dishtowel in hand.

"Anything special you want for breakfast?" She asked, fidgeting with the dishtowel.

"Umm, whatever you want to make me." Teal answered, trying to sound as polite as possible. Aunt Malaya smiled warmly at her and then disappeared into the kitchen once more where Aunt Emily and Aunt Corrina were already cooking.

"Did I miss the feast?" Teal asked Aunt Joanna.

Aunt Joanna nodded, "Jessica came running into the house saying something about voices, and we went looking for you and found lying by the fountain. You must have fallen."

"Oh," a Teal said, "I cant really remember what happened."

"Yes, we were certainly worried about you—you've been asleep since yesterday! But all the doctor said was that you probably hit your head, causing a minor concussion but you weren't physically injured at all other than a little bump on your forehead, which I see has gone away."

Teal felt her forehead. No bump. "So I wasn't bleeding and my ankle wasn't bruised or anything?" She asked cautiously. This wasn't making sense.

"Not a scratch on you," Aunt Joanna said, "Poor Jessica, the girl was covered in scratches and bruises."

"Where is Jessica?" Teal asked Aunt Joanna, who had stood up and started gathering plates to put on the table,

"In the garden with Daniel," Aunt Joanna replied, "Such a nice boy. He came to see if you girls were feeling better."

"Oh," Was all Teal could think of saying. "Excuse me, for a minute." She said, getting up and heading out to the garden.

She could hear Danny and Jess laughing, and headed towards their voices. She found them sitting on a bench, a book between them.

"I'll have to show this to Teal," Jess was saying.

"Show what to me?" Teal questioned, walking up to the two of them.

"You're awake!" Jess exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Teal excitedly.

"Good to see you, too." Teal replied, laughing. Jess let go of her friend and her smile turned into a frown of concern.

"You're sure you're okay?" Jess asked and when Teal nodded she went on, "You were asleep since yesterday. The Aunts thought you had a concussion. And you look awfully tired. "

Teal was still taken aback. She didn't even remember falling asleep…

"Wow," Teal said slowly, "I mean, I feel fine, I'm just a little hungry, that's all."

"What happened, do you remember?" Danny asked, a look of concern crossing his face, too.

"I'm not exactly sure," Teal replied truthfully, "But I think I tripped over that little gnome over by the fountain."

Danny and Jess exchanged glances.

"What gnome?" They asked at the same time.

"The one by the fountain." Teal said. She got annoyed when she had to repeat things.

"There aren't any gnomes by the fountain." Danny pointed out.

"Okay, so I'm not exactly sure it was a gnome. But it was some type of statue." Teal retorted.

Danny glanced apprehensively at Jess, who glanced at Teal.

"I'll show you!" Teal insisted. This was stupid, it really was. But why didn't they believe her?

She led the way over to the fountain directly to the place where she remembered falling. There was nothing there, only a couple of drops of blood. Teal instinctively touched her cheek; nothing was there. Then she felt her forehead; nothing there, either. That couldn't be possible, there had been blood everywhere after the branch had cut her face.

"See?" Danny asked, "No statue…or gnome."

"Maybe I dreamed it, then." Teal said, still not fully convinced.

"Yea, probably," Jess agreed, "Now why don't we go eat?"

SSssSSssSSssSS

The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful. Danny and Jess decided to go horseback riding, but Teal declined the offer. She still didn't feel quite like herself, and there were a couple of things she wanted to look into.

As soon as Danny and Jess had left, Teal headed up to the library. It was a fairly large room with shelves and shelves of well-bound books two huge comfy-looking brown chairs sat beside a large fireplace and a small table stood below one of the vast windows. Some of the books were older, visibly aging and others were brand new, some never even read. Teal hoped that the library had some sort of order, and found to her joy that it was. She immediately went to work on finding books about goblins.

An hour later, Teal sat in one of the large comfy brown chairs with a large blue book in her hands, her face bent in concentration. Several other books lay around her chair and on the other chair as well. Some of them were dog-eared and others had bookmarks sticking out of their pages.

Teal sighed and put down the book. So far all she had found were fictional books about princes and dragons and the occasional mentioning of a goblin, but nothing struck her as important. She gathered the books and put them back on the shelves, which took her longer than she had expected. On her way out, a dark blue book caught Teal's eye. The pulled it from the bookshelf and opened it, coughing a little as the dust gathered in its frail pages seeped into the air.

Immediately, the book launched her into a history of Hallow Hill and the Hallow Hill House. It told of the disappearance of Adele Roberts, and the sisters Kate and Emily Winslow who had supposedly died soon after their arrival, and more recently, a young woman named Collette who had come to stay at the house in the early 1900's. That was the last entry. The book was hand-written and well-kept, though it looked as if someone hadn't picked it up in years.

Teal, not wanting to lose the book, took it to her room where she hid it under her dresser. She promised herself that she'd read it after dinner.

Jess and Danny returned from their ride shortly before dinner. Teal, not wanting the Aunts to worry about her, stood extra tall and laughed extra loudly just to make sure they thought she was fine. But on the inside, she felt like she was getting sick.

"Jess and I saw an old abandoned shack," Danny said, which launched the entire table into a deep conversation about how travelers used to stay and visit the House.

While they were deep in conversation, Teal was still stuck on the mystery of the disappearances of all those young girls. Someone had obviously cared enough to put them in a book, which meant that the girls themselves were probably very significant. She decided that she'd wait for an opportunity to bring it up.

"Did all of you always live here?" Jess asked the Aunts.

"Of course not," Aunt Corrina replied, "First it was only me and Joanna with our husbands George and Louis. Louis died in 1988, and then Malaya and Emily came after their husbands died."

"Were there people that lived here before your family, though?" Teal asked.

"Yes, actually. There was a man by the name of Henry who inherited the property from his uncle, James Richardson." Aunt Emily said.

"But he left the house, and my Father bought it." Aunt Corrina said.

"What about a woman named Collette? Surely you must've known her?" Teal spurted out.

Aunt Malaya eyed Teal curiously, "Who told you about Collette?" She asked. Now all eyes were on her.

"I was reading in the library and I saw a book. It said that she had disappeared." Teal admitted.

"Well," Said Aunt Corrina, "I guess we'll have to tell you about poor Collette. But you old Aunt Emily knows this story best."

"Well, 'tis a sad story, really. Collette came to stay at the house with her uncle. She disappeared the next day. No one could figure out how or where she went. She was just gone. Not too long after that, Mr. Richardson left the house; I guess the stories finally got to him."

Her story left a stunned silence throughout the table. Teal's mouth hung open.

"What about all the other girls that were in the book?" Teal questioned. Aunt Emily only shrugged.

"We weren't alive that far back." She said pointedly. The rest of the Aunts laughed and Teal thought she heard Aunt Corrina say "Thank the lord."

"And no other girls have disappeared since then?" Teal questioned further.

"No," Aunt Corrina answered, peering at Teal over her glasses, "You two are the first young girls to visit us since then, if I'm correct."

Teal felt her stomach lurch. _The first girls since Collette disappeared._ Teal didn't know how, but somehow she knew that she and Jess couldn't stay here with the Aunts. They were in terrible danger.

Teal stayed mostly quiet the rest of dinner, the dreadful feeling consuming her. She listened to the aunts and Jess and Danny talk merrily about the beautiful sites of London and where they should visit; but Teal didn't feel like talking, she wanted to get back up to her room so that she could read more about the disappearances.

"Oh, but you have to watch out for the goblins." Danny teased Jess. Teal's head snapped up when she heard what he said.

"That's your excuse for everything!" Jess exclaimed, playfully slapping him on the shoulder, "You should've heard him earlier," She turned to me and the aunts, "He wouldn't go near the lake because he said goblins would get us."

Aunt Corrina gave Aunt Emily a look. They frowned at Danny and Jess.

"Those are just old tales." Aunt Corrina said harshly. "Nothing more. No need to worry about goblins." She gave a forced laugh and then quickly excused herself, followed by Aunt Emily and Aunt Malaya, saying they were tired. Aunt Joanna went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

"What do you think of going to town tomorrow and shopping?" Jess asked Teal, smiling.

"Yea," Teal said, smiling back, "Sounds great."

SSssSSssSSssSS

It was eleven o'clock when Teal finally went to bed. She had given in to playing a "short" game of monopoly with Jess and Danny. Well, the game hadn't been short at all, lasting over two hours, and Teal had lost terribly.

She changed into a white t-shirt and blue pajama pants and sat on the edge of her bed. She considered going over to the dresser and taking another look at the book, but decided that there would be time for that tomorrow. She was too tired for anything, and she'd be able to think more clearly in the morning.

Teal awoke screaming the next morning. She twisted around wildly, her eyes still closed until she suddenly couldn't feel anything under her, and then she was lying on the floor, the blankets twisted around her.

Still breathing hard from her nightmare, she rubbed her eyes, and sat up. Her back hurt from the fall.

"What's going on in there?" Jess flung open the door, and promptly burst out laughing.

"Shut up," Teal said, getting up off the floor. She piled the blankets messily back onto the bed.

"It's not my fault you fell out of bed." Jess said, still laughing.

"I had a nightmare." Teal said, rubbing her back.

"Oh," Jess said, she had wandered over to the window and was looking out at the woods. "What was it about?"

"A lot of things," Teal said, "I can't really remember all of it, just that there was a huge cloaked figure that was dragging me into the dark."

"Oh…" Jess looked like she was going to laugh again.

"It's not funny!" Teal said defensively.

"Well it's not scary either." Said Jess.

Teal laughed, "Whatever, just get out of my room so I can get dressed."

SSssSSssSSssSS

When Teal and Jess got into the kitchen, they were surprised to see a tall red-haired woman talking with Aunt Joanna, and a little girl around the age of five, sitting at the table.

"Good morning, girls," greeted Aunt Joanna. "This is my daughter Shirley, and her daughter Isabel. Shirley, Isabel, that's Jessica and that's Teal."

"Say hello, Isabel." Shirley coached, motioning at Teal and Jess.

"Hello," Isabel said, getting up and walking over to Teal and Jess. She stopped right in front of Teal.

"You're pretty. Come play with me by the fountain."

Teal and Jess followed the eager little girl out into the garden, where she skipped up to the large stone fountain and began tossing pebbles into it, entranced by the ripples that spread through the water.

"She's cute," Jess whispered to Teal. Teal nodded in agreement. Isabel was wearing a purple shirt with dark green overalls and white tennis shoes. She had red hair like her mother and hazel eyes.

"Come sit by me, Teal!" Isabel squealed, climbing onto the fountain. Teal sat beside her.

Jessica said she had to use the bathroom, and disappeared into the house.

"Have you been here before?" Teal asked the beaming little girl next to her.

"Uh-huh," Isabel said, swinging her feet happily, "Mommy and me come here all the time."

"Do you like it here?" Teal questioned further.

Isabel made a face, "They don't have a TV like mommy's house," She said, "And the Aunts make me eat broccoli."

Teal laughed, "You don't like the garden?"

"No, I like the garden." Isabel said, "And I like the woods way over there."

Teal didn't even have to look up to know what woods she was talking about.

"I don't like those woods," Teal said.

"But there's lots of pretty flowers!"

"But it's also very dark and dangerous," Teal explained.

"Oh," Isabel said. She had a look on her face that one gets after they've made a big discovery. "So you're afraid of the dark."

"Kind of..." Teal admitted, though it wasn't entirely true. There was just something more terrifying about the darkness in the woods than regular darkness.

"What's your favorite color?" Teal asked, changing subjects.

"Silver," Isabel answered.

"Why silver?" Teal asked, gazing down at the little girl who was watching a grasshopper move across the gravel.

"Because that's the color of Marak's magic." Isabel answered simply. Teal was about to ask what she was talking about when Jess called from the doorway that breakfast was ready. Isabel jetted for the door, leaving Teal still sitting on the Fountain. Now she had another puzzle; who was Marak?


	3. Chapter 3

**The Man in the Cloak**

Isabel and her mother left the next day, leaving Teal no time to further question the young girl about Marak. And it bothered Teal greatly. She found herself falling into constant daydreams about Hallow Hill, and often had terrible nightmares of dark places and a cloaked figure watching…always watching. She blamed her dreams on anything she could think of; eating sweets before bed, the strange stories Danny told them, or maybe just her nerves playing tricks on her. She never really considered the fact that maybe her instincts were right about Hallow Hill…maybe she and Jess really were in terrible danger.

Teal considered that maybe it would be best to tell Jess of her fears, but she dismissed the idea almost as soon as it came to her. Jess was perfectly happy, why ruin her trip with pointless ramblings that were probably false? Teal told herself firmly that she would have to keep it to herself and pretend that nothing was wrong. But that proved harder than Teal had expected.

Jess was eagerly waiting in Aunt Emily's blue truck, excited for the shopping trip the girls were about to take. Teal had no sooner climbed into the car, and then Jess looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong?" Jess asked.

"Nothing," Teal lied, "I didn't sleep very good last night." It was strange how easily the lie slipped off her tongue. Teal immediately felt guilty.

"Still having nightmares?" Jess asked, and when Teal nodded she went on, "That's not good, Teal, and they're still about the same thing?"

"Yea," Teal answered, "But don't even worry about it. I'm probably just over exaggerating all this fear about Hallow Hill."

"Teal," Jess said seriously, "If you don't feel safe here, then we should leave."

Teal stared at Jess, slightly taken aback. "No, its okay…really, it is." She said. Part of her wanted to leave, but another part of her still didn't want to disappoint Jess.

"No, it's not," Jess said, "You know those nightmares you've been having? Well, I've been having them too. I'm worried about you, Teal…about us."

"I just--" But Teal didn't get to finish her sentence. Aunt Emily had just climbed into the truck and started the engine.

"How would you like it if I dropped you girls off at a nice little café and then you can make your way through the shops. Call the house on one of your cell phones when you're ready to come home." Aunt Emily said happily. Both of the girls nodded mutely, maybe this wouldn't be such a great shopping trip after all.

SSssSSssSSssSS

Aunt Emily had dropped the girls off at a small coffee shop that was decorated in every pink decoration imaginable. Little pink lights lined the roof and the tables that were visible through the windows were bright pink. Jess and Teal felt sick just looking at it.

They waved good-bye to their aunt and started their way down the shop-lined street.

"Hey," Jess said, breaking the silence that had passed over them, "Let's just forget about that whole thing till we get back to the aunts' house, then we can talk about it."

"I'm totally fine with that," Teal said, leading the way into a clothing shop. Jess laughed.

For the next three hours, the girls shopped, picking out and buying various items and for the time being, they completely forgot about their nightmares and for the first time since Teal had been there, she didn't feel like she was being watched. But their comfort soon ended.

"Hi," Jess said into her cell phone, "It's Jessica. Yea, we're ready. Uh-huh. She's right here, wanna talk to her? No, okay. Well I don't think it'd be a good idea…couldn't a neighbor come get us or something? Huh? Oh, no but it's almost dark and I just don't think…okay…well, we will if we have to…okay, bye." Jess clicked her phone shut and let out an angry sigh.

"What?" Teal asked, slightly nervous.

"The truck broke down," Jess answered disappointedly, "Aunt Corrina says we have to walk home."

"Can't a neighbor come and get us?" Teal asked.

Jess shrugged, "Aunt Corrina doesn't want to bother them."

"But if we have to walk home then that means--"

"We'll have to walk partly through the forest, I know." Jess interrupted. Her expression was vacant, as if she was in a daze or thinking of something far off.

"It's not dark yet," Teal said hopefully, "Maybe if we hurry, we can make it past the forest before dark comes."

"It's worth a try," Jess said, but she didn't sound too convinced.

The girls started off at almost a run, keeping to the narrow sidewalks. The sun beyond the distant hills was now only a purple globe and already a dim shade was covering the land.

"Look over there!" Jess exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a red car. Teal looked and had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. A young man, slightly older than Teal and Jess had caught his coat in the door of his car and was desperately trying to pull it out. Jess and Teal hurried past him, giggling.

"How funny!" Teal said once they were out of ear-shot of the young man.

"My mom did that once," Jess said, "but we were in a Wal-Mart parking lot so there were a lot more people staring."

"I wish I could have seen that," Teal commented, still laughing. But the girls hadn't noticed the darkness clouding around them. They had come to the part where the main road turned off into the old dirt road that eventually led to the Hallow Hill house.

Teal shuddered for a second, suddenly feeling completely unsafe. The feeling of being watched crept over her and she found that she was glancing over her shoulder every few seconds.

"Jess," She said in a frantic whisper, "I think someone's following us."

Jess glanced around them, "I think you're crazy." She said.

"No, Jess, I'm dead serious." Teal said. She was feeling queasy again…almost like she wanted to just lie down right here and sleep…

"No!" Teal grabbed Jess' hand and started running, "Jess, run!" She yelled.

Now she and Jess were running at top speed down the old dirt road, splashing mud onto the bottom of their jeans. Teal thought she could hear people behind them, and was sure they were going to be caught when a small light ahead caught her eye. A fire! If only she could reach it in time. She did her best to increase her speed, dragging Jess along with her.

Teal could make out the fire now; it was a huge fire, most likely a bonfire made by the teens that sometimes hung around in the woods. Teal wondered if going to the fire was the smartest move, maybe it had been these teens chasing them all along. She quickly pushed aside the thought and hurried on, just a few more yards and they would reach it.

"Hello, ladies." Boomed a good-natured voice when Jess and Teal collapsed on their knees in front of the fire. Teal looked up and saw, to her dismay that it wasn't a teenager that stood in front of them, offering his hand, but a taller broad-shouldered man wearing a black cloak that covered his face.

Teal looked at Jess who was also staring at the man, but Jess' mouth was slightly open.

"Hello," Teal replied, ignoring the man's outstretched hand and standing up.

"And where might you be off to, Miss?" The man asked.

"What business is it of yours?" Teal spat. The man had an eerie feeling about him, and Teal didn't like it.

The man folded his arms, "None at all." He answered, laughing. "It just seemed a little strange that two pretty girls like you should be wandering around in the dark on a night like this when rain is on the way."

"We're going home," Jess said, butting into the conversation, "Our aunts' car broke down so they couldn't pick us up from town."

"So you're the girls at Hallow Hill!" The man boomed, laughing again, "I should have known. Marak will be pleased." Teal blinked, he knew Marak…and how exactly did he know where they lived by that small amount of information? She could feel her distrust of the man surfacing.

"Who's Marak?" Jess asked absently, still watching the strange man.

"My boss," The man said. Teal could tell he wasn't saying the whole truth.

"Is he a magician of some sort?" Teal asked cautiously, remembering how Isabel had said that Marak's "magic" was silver.

"I guess you could say that." The man said. "I'll tell him you were asking about him."

"That won't be necessary." Teal said quickly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be getting home before our family starts worrying.

The man moved out of their way so that Teal could walk past, taking Jess by the arm.

They hadn't gone ten feet before Teal began feeling drowsy again; she longed to lie down on the ground…

"Jess!" She yelped. Jess had slumped forward, her eyes closed. Teal barely caught her before she hit the ground. "Wake up! Jess, not here, please, open your eyes." Tears formed at the edges of her eyes. The man was no longer by the fire, but she could sense many presences around her, evil presences.

Teal lifted her head to gaze into the starry night sky. It had always offered her so much comfort; she just wished it could help her now, help her to wake Jess. She felt suddenly lighter, as if she was one with the stars and she heard herself mumbling something strange and inaudible. She felt Jess stir a little in her arms.

"What are we—oh, hi Teal." She said, as if she had never been asleep at all.

"Hurry, get up!" Teal said desperately, hauling Jess onto her feet. "We have to get home, come on!"

Teal turned on her heel to run, and smacked head-first into something tall. She fell backwards, but was caught by two large, strong arms.

"Careful, my dear." Said the same voice she had heard in the clearing. Teal looked up at her captor, and found herself staring into the face of a monster. He might have been handsome, had his skin not been the grey color of corpse. His lips were a pale pinkish color, and messy black hair streamed down his shoulders, splattered with streaks of blonde. But his eyes were beautiful, bright black eyes, not very different from her own. She looked at his face for a few more seconds, before her eyes wandered to the arms holding her. The left one was normal, but his right arm, from the elbow down was covered in black feathers and ended in what looked like a hand, with five fingers but each was the color and texture of a bird's skin. The nails of the hand were like the sharp talons of an eagle and they gleamed in the moonlight like little daggers.

Teal began screaming at the top of her lungs and desperately trying to break free.

"Calm down," He said softly, "Your struggling is useless." Teal paused her struggle for a moment: he was right. She lifted her face to look at the moon again, hoping that maybe it could help her one more time…

"Now, now," The man said, taking her right hand in his. "We can't have you doing that, little elf." Teal snapped her head to his direction.

"I'm not an elf. And you're hurting me!" She said quietly.

"Oh, yes you are." The man said, "And you're trying to work elf magic on me. The pain is because you don't want to give up your magic."

"I am not!" Teal said defiantly.

The man gave her an amused look. "Do you know what I am?" He asked, grinning at her ad exposing two sharp fangs.

Teal shook her head.

"I'm the Goblin King." He said, and watched the face of his bride turn white with terror.


	4. Chapter 4

**Yet Another King**

Teal recovered from her brief shock and continued to scream and struggle against the goblin's strong grip. He seemed amused at her terror which made Teal even more desperate to free herself. Perhaps he would eat her, or mutilate her face to look as ghastly as his. Angry tears streamed down her cheeks. To top it all off, night had set in with a bright moon. Teal felt miserable.

The Goblin was carrying her through the forest, and even if she could escape from his iron grasp there were guards surrounding them. She was hopelessly trapped, with nowhere to run to.

One of the goblins said something in a strange language to the King. Marak stopped abruptly and looked down at Teal.

"Well," he said a hint of anger in his voice, "it looks as if you're going to meet some elves."

Teal hiccupped quietly in answer. She was worn out from her struggle, and was now hardly able to cry anymore. She twisted around to look behind her at the goblin holding the sleeping form of Jessica. He was even more hideous than Marak. His skin was repulsive green and his hair was as white as snow. He grinned at Teal when he noticed her looking at him. She quickly turned her head away; his fangs were twice as long as Marak's.

"Hello, Marak." Said a smooth voice. Teal looked up and found herself staring into the face of an angel. His skin was smooth and his features stunning, framed by black hair that looked as if it could have been made of silk.

Behind the beautiful man stood two more, just as handsome as he. One of them had shining blonde hair and the other the same black hair as the first. All three of them wore dark brown clothes. Teal thought they reminded her of tunics, but she almost laughed at her silliness. It was 2006…no one wore tunics.

"Hello Nir." Marak answered in an icy tone. He set Teal down on her feet, much to her surprise, but he kept a firm hand on her arm.

"This is the Elf King, Nir." The King said in a hushed voice to Teal.

"Marak," the Elf King said in a serious tone, "you are violating our agreement."

Marak raised his eyebrow at the Elf King, "In what way?"

"You agreed that no elf brides would be taken out of the forest!" the Elf King sounded furious.

"She is not one of your elves." Marak pointed out.

"Nonetheless, she is an elf which protects her under the terms of our agreement. You cannot take her." The Elf King said.

"True," Marak said slowly, "but what would you want with her? You are already married."

"It is my duty to protect any elf, no matter if they are pure blooded or not. You cannot take her out of the forest." Teal felt relieved that the Elf King was winning the argument.

"Would it not be wise to hold a council?" Offered the blonde elf that had come with his king.

"A very fitting idea for the current situation," The Elf King agreed, "She stays in the forest with me, and we shall hold a meeting in the truce circle in one week to make the decision."

Marak hesitated for a moment, and he looked down at Teal. "That sounds reasonable." He said after a pause. "One week."

He released Teal's arm. He and the other goblins began to leave the clearing.

"Wait!" Teal yelled suddenly. The goblins stopped and looked at her. "What about Jess? She stays too."

"She's not an elf," Marak said reasonably. Teal looked disappointedly at the ground, feeling incredibly guilty. "You could go with her," Marak offered.

"No!" Teal said quickly, backing away from him.

"Then you'll just have to deal without her." He said, shrugging. Without another word, the goblins vanished into the darkness. She watched the place where they had gone until she was positive they weren't going to pop up again.

"Lady," Said one of the elves, lightly touching her arm. She turned and found herself facing the Blonde elf. "We must get you back to camp."

Teal didn't answer; she mutely let herself be led by the blonde elf through the forest. She hated herself for letting the goblins take Jess, there should have been something she could do…there had to be.

She looked up and brightened a little at the sight of the starry night sky, but her joy was soon interrupted.

"Close your eyes," Said the Elf King. Teal obeyed felt two of the elves grab her arms and lead her, stumbling across the forest floor. They stopped suddenly.

"You may open your eyes."

Teal did, and was amazed at what she saw. There were small fires burning outside of tents of all different sizes. People were busy and working around the fires while children played and danced. Teal smiled at the sight, it felt welcoming.

The Elf King said something to the other two elves, who quickly bowed and left Teal standing alone with the king.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" He asked.

Teal shook her head.

"Where do you come from?" He asked.

"Well-err--" Teal wasn't sure how to address him. She thought of "Your highness" and "your majesty", but decided that if she called him "Sir" he wouldn't mind. "I come from New York, Sir."

"You may call me Nir," He said.

"Umm…Nir, I mean." Teal corrected herself.

"What was your mother's name?" He asked.

"Marietta," Teal said. She had to bite her lip suddenly to keep away the tears that always came when someone mentioned her mother. She had died only a year ago with the birth of Teal's sister, who had also died.

"Do you mind if I work some magic on you?" Nir asked. Teal gazed quizzically at him. "It'll help you sleep," he said. Teal was still confused, but didn't pull away when he took her face in-between his hands and mumbled something. He took his hands away from her face and stood back. Teal touched her face with her hands, she didn't feel any different. She wanted to laugh at how silly she was being she knew magic wasn't real.

The elf king was watching her. "My wife will take you to clean up. You'll be sleeping in Evolyn's tent." He turned and smiled.

A beautiful young woman walked up to them, smiling. She wasn't an elf at all, but a regular human. She came up beside her husband and laid her hand on his shoulder. She was wearing a brown dress the same color as Nir's tunic, and her hair was golden blonde with dashes of brown in it. She reminded Teal a little of Jess.

"My wife, Clara," He said to Teal, and then his wife, "and this is Teal."

The woman nodded and stepped forward, grasping Teal's hands in her own. "You must be hungry!" She exclaimed, "And tired too! How terrible that the evil goblins were taking you away. But don't worry; you'll be safe here with us."

"Uh, thank you." Teal said awkwardly, forcing a smile.

"Follow me, dear." Clara said happily, giving her husband a good-bye peck on the cheek. She took Teal hand and they walked side-by-side through the maze of tents. The tents began to get bigger as they went along and not quite so random until Teal was looking up at one large tent with three somewhat smaller tents on either side of it.

"Wait here," Clara said, disappearing inside the large tent. When she emerged, she was holding a dress made of dark green material and a leather bag that looked old and worn. She handed Teal a piece of bread, which she gratefully ate and the continued to briskly led Teal back through the maze of tents and stopped outside a smaller tent that looked older than some of the other ones.

"You'll be staying with Evolyn in her tent." Clara said cheerily. "Now go inside and put this on, you'll fit in more once you're wearing it."

Teal hesitated before taking the dress from Clara's outstretched hands and ducking through the door. Inside the tent seemed much roomier than it had on the outside. There were two mats, one on each side of the tent with blankets folded neatly on top of them. Teal avoided stepping on the mats and had no trouble changing out of her muddy jeans into the dress. It was soft, she noticed, and she couldn't find any seems on it. She shrugged to herself and came outside the tent again. Clara was waiting for her.

"Now take off those filthy shoes and out on these." She said, handing Teal a pair of ballet slippers that were made of the same green material as her dress. She sat down to untie her converse and put on the slippers.

Clara picked up Teal's old shoes along with her other clothes and walked away saying that she'd return in a minute, leaving Teal to stand by herself.

A few children had gathered by one of the tents and were watching her.

"Hello," Teal said shyly. She hated being stared at.

The kids looked at each other. A boy, around eight or nine spoke to her, "They don't know English."

"What do they speak?" Teal asked. She assumed it was probably French.

The little boy laughed, "Elvish, of course!"

"Oh…" Teal said. She wasn't yet used to the fact that it really was goblins that had captured her, and now elves accommodating her in their village. It all seemed unreal to her, like a bizarre dream that just wouldn't end.

"I see you've met some of the children," Clara said, appearing beside Teal.

One of the children spoke to Clara in what Teal presumed was elvish, and Clara answered.

"They say that you're very pretty," Clara said, smiling.

"Tell them I say thank you." Teal said, smiling. It's always nice to hear someone call you pretty, no matter what the circumstance is.

The children giggled happily and skipped away from the tent.

"My eyes are hurting," Teal told Clara, "It's took dark here."

"Oh," Clara said, "Well maybe Nir can do something about that tomorrow night. Dawns almost here and we'll all be going to sleep soon."

"To sleep?" Teal was confused. "Why don't we sleep now and get up in the morning?"

"The sunlight is too bright for elf eyes," Clara explained, "So we sleep during the day and are awake at night."

"But you're not an elf." Teal said.

"But I am the King's wife, so it wouldn't make any sense if I stayed awake during the day by myself, now would it? Nir put a spell on me so I can see in the dark too. I'll see if he can do something about your eyesight tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Teal agreed. Now Clara was talking about spells, which meant magic. And Teal knew that magic wasn't real. She found herself wondering about what Nir had done earlier, and if it really had been magic.

"Is this Teal?" Asked a woman, walking up to Clara and Teal. She had Black hair and sad blue eyes. She couldn't have been much older than twenty, but she looked tired and sad.

"Yes, this is Teal." Clara said, "And Teal, this is Evolyn."

"Hi," Teal said.

Evolyn nodded at her, and then turned to Clara, "Did you get her a blanket and a mat?"

"Brindi brought them over earlier while you were down at the stream washing." Clara said.

"Good," Evolyn said, disappearing into the tent.

Clara hugged Teal reassuringly, "Have a nice sleep, dear. Nir is probably wondering where I am." She chuckled to herself and walked away.

Teal watched her until she had disappeared behind the other tents before entering the tent she was supposed to stay in.

Evolyn was already asleep on her own mat, her back turned to Teal.

"Goodnight," She heard Evolyn mumble.

"'night" Teal answered, lying down on her own mat. She kicked off her shoes and tried to snuggle down under the thin blanket.

She saw a small glint of light come through the crack in the door, and she almost jumped up to go outside. But suddenly her eyelids felt very heavy and she yawned. The feeling of sleepiness felt very similar to what she had felt in the forest earlier when the goblins were trying to capture her. Teal felt drowsy and longed to sleep, but she stayed up much later, her mind too full with the day's events to rest. She tossed and turned, trying to focus on sleep.

Teal thought she could hear Evolyn crying…


	5. Chapter 5

**Accepting the Indubitable **

"Jarim, look! She's waking up!"

Jess opened her eyes slowly, confused by the unfamiliar voice. She jumped when she saw two faces only inches from her own. They weren't human faces; one was the pale green color of the frogs that used to come into her yard after it rained, and the other had yellow eyes that looked as if they might pop out of the creature's skull.

Jess screamed as loud as she could.

The two creatures fell backwards from her, shaken by her outburst. They were on the floor now, and Jess could only see their heads.

"Please stop!" The one with the yellow eyes pleaded, "You're hurting our ears."

Jess complied but watched them warily. Her brain was still working its way around figuring out what exactly was happening.

"We better get Marak," The green one said to the other creature. The other one nodded and they shuffled out of the room quickly. Jess noticed that they were no more than two feet tall and had short fuzzy legs.

Once they were gone, Jess looked around the room. She was sitting on a small bed with red decorative blankets and beside the bed was a table. It was carved she noticed, and the left corner had been dented. Next to the table was a stool, likely what the creatures had stood on while they watched her. Jess shuddered at the thought of those ghastly little faces intently staring at her as she slept.

Other than the bed, table, and stool the room was bare with smooth brown walls, and no windows. Jess felt a little claustrophobic. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and wiggled her toes a little.

Then a thought hit her that made her feel suddenly terrified and alone, _Teal isn't here!_

Jess jumped when the door creaked open, and in stepped a man.

"You're awake!" The man boomed, and Jess recognized his voice at once.

"Where's Teal?" She demanded, standing up.

Marak grinned, "She staying with the elves for a while." He answered. Jess was shaking she was so afraid. He was even more inhuman now that she saw him in clearer light.

"Elves?" She asked after she regained her composure. The goblin nodded.

"Teal's an elf," He said.

Jess laughed coolly, "No she's not. Elves aren't real."

"And neither are goblins." He retorted.

"But you're a goblin…" Jess faltered. This was all just too confusing. She wanted to be back at the house with Teal and Danny and all the aunts. She only hoped she was just dreaming.

"So if you're sure I'm real, then why is it so hard to believe that elves are real?" The goblin asked.

"But I'm not sure that you're real." Jess answered truthfully.

The goblin watched her for a moment before speaking, "Would you like to see your new home?" he asked.

Jess was too tired and confused to object or ask what he meant. She simply nodded her head. He opened the door and led her through a long corridor with many other doors on either side. She examined her surroundings carefully, not wanting to miss any details. At the end of the corridor there was a bigger door with carved designs on it. The goblin opened it and led Jess out onto a balcony that overlooked a valley. Jess leaned over the railing to get a better look at what lay before her. But it wasn't until she looked up that she really became amazed. She could see sky, but it looked like she was seeing it through a bubble.

"How…" She asked, but didn't finish her question.

"It's magic," The goblin told her, "It holds up the lake."

"Magic?" Jess asked.

"Yes," The goblin answered, "And all of the people you see down there, those are my goblin subjects."

"What do you mean by 'subjects'?"

"I am the Goblin King," He explained.

"Oh…then what do you want with me?" Jess asked. She was getting a headache.

"You're a non-goblin bride," The King said, "I intend to marry you to a man from one of the high families."

Jess' mouth dropped open in surprise, "I'm not marrying anyone!" She exclaimed.

The Goblin King laughed at her, "Not yet, but you will."

"But I don't want to," Jess said, teary-eyed, and then added hopefully, "I'm only sixteen."

"True," The Goblin said, "But you turn seventeen in three months, which means by then you will be old enough to marry."

"That's not true!" Jess countered, "I'm not legally able to marry until I'm eighteen."

"Where you come from that might be true, but not in my kingdom." He said. "And as of last night you became a subject of my kingdom which means none of the laws that applied to you in America apply to you here."

Jess was silent for a moment. "So you're going to force me to marry a goblin?"

Marak studied the distraught girl for a moment, "No," he said, "I'm letting you choose. You're very important here, so I will leave it to you to pick your husband."

Jess wasn't comforted. She put her head in her hands and burst into tears.

"You're worse than in the storybooks!" She hissed, tears spilling down her face.

Marak walked to the door that led back into the corridor and opened it, letting in an elf-looking woman with blonde hair.

She walked over to Jess and put an arm around the weary girl, shooting Marak a poison glance. She had told him not to upset her. Marak nodded silently at her and then disappeared out the door, leaving Jess alone with this new stranger.

"No need to be upset, dear." The woman said. Jess had ceased crying but was now hiccupping violently into the woman's shoulder.

"Who're you?" Jess asked when she was able to breath regularly again.

"My name is Margaret," The woman answered. Jess smiled weakly at her. She liked this woman, and she didn't seem like a goblin. Jess, in her mind, was beginning to accept the indubitable.

SSssSSssSSssSSssSSssSSssSS

When Teal opened her eyes it was dark outside the tent, and Evolyn wasn't on her mat. She stretched her arms and sat up, feeling somewhat rested.

"Teal?" Clara's voice sounded from outside the tent. "Are you awake?"

"Yea," Teal answered, yawning. She put on her slippers and crawled outside the tent where Clara was waiting for her.

"Did you sleep well?" Clara asked. She was wearing a simple, yet elegant gown made of green material, somewhat like Teal's own dress.

"Yes, actually," Teal considered asking Clara about Evolyn, but decided not to. Her gaze wandered to the large fire where many of the elves were dancing around.

"Good," Clara said, smiling warmly at her, "Now you must be hungry. Follow me." Teal complied and took the hand Clara offered. Clara led her to the fire and told her to sit down. She disappeared but returned quickly with a plate full of food in her hands.

Teal looked hopefully at the plate, but was disappointed at what she saw. The only thing on the plate that looked appetizing was a piece of bread, so Teal gratefully took it and began to eat.

"You must eat more than that." Clara coaxed when Teal had finished the bread. "Here, try the deer meat, its very good."

Teal shook her head and politely declined, saying "I don't like deer meat."

"I didn't either when I first came, but it isn't so bad once you get used to it," Clara said. Teal felt comforted knowing that Clara knew how she felt, and that she had once been in her situation. She reluctantly took a small bite of the meat, wincing at the unfamiliar taste. She swallowed with great difficulty. Clara was watching her happily.

"You're right," Teal admitted when she had finished the food Clara had brought her; "It isn't that bad."

"I told you," Clara said, laughing. They were sitting a little ways away from the fire, watching the children play.

"So why did you come here?" Teal asked, changing subjects. Clara glanced at her.

"Agnir found me in the city one day, and brought me here to be his wife." Clara said.

"Oh…" Teal said, "Then why did he bring me here? What use am I to him?"

Clara studied Teal's face for a long while. When she answered her voice was almost a whisper, "He needs you to negotiate with the Goblin King."

Teal was terrified and confused at the same time. The absolute _last _thing she wanted was to see the Goblin King again.

"What?" Teal demanded, almost choking on a piece of meat.

Clara was looking down at her hands. "He needs you so he can negotiate with the goblin king." She repeated quietly.

Teal was speechless. She opened her mouth to shout a venomous retort at Clara, but stopped herself, realizing that this was no more Clara's fault than hers.

"I'm sorry," Clara said awkwardly.

Teal shook her head, staring into the bright flames of the fire. "I need to see Agnir." She announced after a moment.

"Teal, please," Clara started, but stopped, sighing. "He's over there." She pointed to a place behind them where a group of the men were talking. She looked at Teal pleadingly, but Teal ignored her.

Teal pushed her way over to where the King was sitting. "Can I talk-er, speak with you, uh sir." She said, mentally slapping herself. She had never been taught how to act in front of a king, but then again, there had never been a need. The only King she had known of before this was the king of England, and there was no chance of her meeting him.

The King said something in elvish to the men sitting around him and stood up, motioning Teal to the side. Where they were standing was slightly cool, and the lighting was even dimmer than usual for the fire was many yards away now.

"What is it you wish to speak of?" Agnir asked.

Teal took a deep breath before answering, "Why am I here?" She asked. There was no point in beating around the bush.

The Elf King looked at her for a moment. "I intend to use you to help me solve a matter with the Goblin King." He answered.

"What type of matter?" Teal questioned.

Agnir didn't answer. "Have you eaten yet? You look hungry." He changed subjects.

"What type of matter?" Teal repeated.

"The Goblin King has taken two of my people, and I intend to trade you for them." He said, looking her directly in the eyes.

"You said I was one of your people!" Teal demand, unborn tears stinging her eyes.

"You are indeed a strong elf cross," He agreed, "but none of the elven men will marry you. You're not a pure blooded elf."

Teal looked down at her feet, feeling both insulted and hurt.

"So you just pretended like you cared about what was going to happen to me." She said quietly after a long pause.

"I care about the well being of my people." He answered.

Teal decided that she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, so she bit her lower lip as hard as she could and looked at the ground.

"I told Evolyn last night." He added, mostly to himself.

"Huh?" Teal asked, looking up at him.

"Evolyn's going with you." He said.

"But she's an elf." Teal protested.

"Her mother was an elf." Agnir said, with a tone of disgust in his voice. "And the Goblin King knew this. The only way he'll set my people free is if in turn, you and Evolyn are given to him."

"Like useless objects?" Teal demanded angrily. "I shouldn't have to be bargained away like a prize! I should have some say in this!"

"Don't raise your voice." Agnir said, "If I had the option to keep you here, I would. You certainly get along well with my wife."

"I hate you." Teal said icily. And deep down she meant it. She had been so entranced by the beauty of the elves, but now she saw them for what they truly were; selfish, shallow people who had no use for people they thought lower than them.

"It doesn't matter," The Elf King answered back in an equally icy tone, "you won't have to deal with me for long. I'm sure you'll like your goblin husband much more. A nice long life in the dark."

Teal backed away from him and then set off at a run for the surrounding wilderness. There were pounding footsteps behind her, and suddenly she felt her legs collapse under her without warning. She fell to the ground, her vision blackening.

**AUNTHOR'S NOTE: hey, sorry if there's some silly mistakes and content error. I'll go back and fix it when I get the chance, but I thought it'd be better if I put the chapter up now just in case I don't get a chance later this weekend.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wrong Turn**

Teal opened her eyes to overwhelming darkness. She could make out the outline of the tent, but that was all.

It hit her all at once. The elves, goblins, and ever deepening plots. It wasn't fair. All of a sudden, she had been thrust into the middle of a conflict that she was no part of. She was going to be given away to that monster as a bride. She was an object of negotiation, that was all. These creatures cared nothing for her.

She sat up and hugged her arms around herself. She was cold. She shivered even more when she thought of the monsters she was being handed over to.

The tent flap moved and Evolyn moved slowly into the tent and sat across from Teal.

"I haven't said much to you," She said quietly. "But I really should have."

"It's okay," Teal said automatically, unsure of how to respond to Evolyn's statement.

"No, it's not." Evolyn's voice was shaky. "We're one in the same. Aganir doesn't want us. We're not pure."

"Pure?"

"Pure elf, like the rest of them are, except for his wife, of course."

"How is his wife human?"

"It's the way it wokrs," Evolyn said, sighing, "I don't have time to explain everything to you. But you should know why I'm here; why I'm being given away too."

"Aganir said your mother was an elf," Teal said quietly, understanding now.

"My mother ran away. She never told me why. She only made it to the next town before she met my father. They fell in love." Evolyn paused and wiped away the tears that had gathered on her cheeks. "My mother always told me about the elves. I loved the stories when I was little. She told me where they lived, and how to get there."

Evolyn paused for a really long time and stared into the back of the tent, a distant and sad expression crossing her face. "I always thought it was just an elaborate tale she had made up to entertain me, but I was fascinated with the elves. She was my world when I was little, and I loved her more than anything."

"What happened to her?" Teal whispered.

"She was pregnant with my little brother." Evolyn look down at her folded hands. "She was weaker. She died during childbirth, and my brother died with her."

"I'm so sorry," Teal whispered, her breath catching in her throat.

"My father lost his mind after they died." Evolyn continued, anger seeping into her voice. "He hated me for living when his wife and son were dead. It was like I wasn't even a child to him. I ran away when he started drinking…after the first night he hit me. I came here—to the one place I thought might be good and beautiful."

"And you found the elves." Teal finished for her. A silence fell between the two of them. Evolyn reached for Teal's hand and held it.

"We're in this together." She said.

Teal still felt scared, but a strong sense of comfort accompanied Evolyn's gesture. They were both objects, but Teal no longer felt alone. And that made this a little easier.

SSssSSssSSssSSssSS

Jess awoke to the sound of music. It was soft and distant. She opened her eyes feeling happy until she remembered where she was. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

She tried to imagine what Teal was doing with the elves, and if she was okay. It was hard being away from her best friend, and like this. She had been captured and kidnapped, and told she was to marry a goblin. Nothing seemed real, and without Teal there to reassure her and keep her down to earth, it was hard not to imagine the worst scenarios possible.

Someone knocked on the large wood door three times, and then Malia, one of the pretty elf-looking goblins, emerged. She was holding a long blue gown in her arms.

"How did you sleep?" She asked cheerily.

"Good, I guess." Jess replied.

Malia Smiled reassuringly. "It'll get better, hun."

Jess smiled back, and took the dress from Malia's outstretched arms.

"It will look beautiful with your eyes." Malia gushed.

Jess smiled again, to show thanks, and curiosity overwhelmed her.

"What do—uhh—goblin women wear?" She asked hesitantly.

Malia laughed, "We wear many different things. As the times change, we adopt some new trends, but not all. Many goblin women still prefer gowns and elegant dresses, while others might like jeans. But," She smiled, "The King's Wife really is the role model for most of the fashion."

"King's Wife? You mean Marak's wife?"

"Yes, of course."

"He has a wife?"

"No, silly girl. Every Goblin King is called Marak, and in turn they each have a wife."

"Oh."

"I'll explain everything later. Right now, you need to get ready and come with me to find some breakfast."

Jess found herself shrouded in thought when Malia left the room to give her privacy. Her head felt dizzy and heavy with her overwhelming situation, and she longed for it all to somehow start making sense.

She sat on the bed and closed her eyes. Slowly, her head began to feel lighter and her breathing calmed. She studied the blue dress in her hands.

The material was stunning, if that was the word for it, and softer than any fabric she had ever felt. She looked and looked, but could not find one seam on the garment. It was strange, but beautiful. It left her with even more questions.

Jess procrastinated getting ready. She didn't know what activities the day would hold for her, but she didn't really want to find out.

One of the many things that puzzled Jess was the lack of silverware. She sat a long table with the elf women and stared down at the food on her plate. It looked delicious, but she was wary of eating it.

"What kind of meat is this?" She asked Malia.

"Sheep."

"Sheep?"

"Yes, now eat. You must be starving."

Jess tried to remember if she had ever eaten sheep before. She eyed it suspiciously.

"Good lord child!" Malia said, frustration in her voice. "It's not going to do anything special if you sit there and stare at it."

Embarassed, Jess hesitantly reached down and picked up a piece of the meat.

"You don't use forks?" She asked.

"No, those are unnecessary human inventions. You'll get along fine without them."

Jess was unsure, but she took a bite nonetheless. It tatsted good, better than she had imagined. With the exception of dirty fingers, she enjoyed her first real meal in the Goblin Kingdom.

SSssSSssSSssSSssSS

Teal could hear Evolyn's deep breathing. The light outside beckoned to her, but she could not move. Sleep tugged at her very core, luring her farther and farther from consciousness, but she forced her eyes open.

All her life, Teal had longed to be the center of a great adventure. She had read countless books filled with mythical creatures and princesses, but never in a million years had she imagined that any of those stories had actually held some truth.

The heroines in her stories were brave and victorious over their foes. When Teal had imagined herself among them, she had never imagined that she would be the helpless victim. She shouldn't be trapped in some pompous elf's clutches, awaiting certain doom. She should have been able to escape with Jess, and make it back home.

This was all wrong.

Teal closed her eyes and imagined the Goblin King's face. She shuddered when her thoughts wandered to his deformed and irregular right arm. The talons of an eagle, that's what he had for fingernails. Sharp daggers that would rip through her flesh if she angered him. She could imagine that corpse colored face glaring at her in anger.

She fell asleep with the image of Marak's face burned in her mind.

Darkness greeted Teal's eyes. She sat up half-heartedly and looked at Evolyn. She was still asleep.

Teal felt a pang of hunger quake in her stomach. She needed food.

She would have preferred the aunt's cooking, but it seemed that the only thing that the elves favored was deer meet. It would have to do.

She didn't bother fixing her mat or folding the cloak. She combed her fingers once through her tangled hair and grimaced at how dirty she felt. It had been at least 3 days since she had last taken a shower.

The dirt was cool under her hands and knees as she crawled out of the tent. Outside, it was dark and quiet, which was strange.

There was no one by the tent.

Worried, Teal quickly made her way through the camp. She heard whispered urgent voices and followed them to the Elf King's tent where she found all of the elves gathered.

"What's going on?" She asked the nearest elf, a young woman with startling blue eyes and brown hair.

The woman looked at Teal, confused, and then said something in elvish, gesturing towards the tent.

She couldn't speak a word of Elvish, and these people probably couldn't speak a word of English.

"The King's wife is sick." A man had moved through the crowd toward Teal. She recognized him instantly as one of the King's guards.

"How?" Asked Teal, worry creeping over her.

"The King says it is her heart."

"Is he going to heal her?"

The elf gave Teal a somewhat dismayed look, "He's trying."

Teal stood on her toes to try and see over the crowd, but it was no use. She felt a sick feeling in her stomach, like something bad was going to happen.

"Can we go up there?" She asked.

The guard shook his head slowly. "The King wants privacy."

Teal closed her eyes and prayed for the first time in years.

Minutes turned into hours, which droned on. Teal found herself sitting on the ground with the guard a short distance from the King's tent. Many other elves had paced or left the crowd. Everyone was worried.

A cloud of fear had enveloped everyone in the camp. Teal could see it in every face, even the children.

Finally, the Elf King emerged from the tent. He looked disheveled and almost sick. Sweat beaded his brow and he wrung his hands together in a distraught manner.

He walked through the crowd toward Teal.

"She is dying." He said, his voice choked with emotion.

For a moment, Teal didn't know what to say. She stared at the Elf King, and for a second, her hatred for him melted away and she felt genuinely sorry for him. She couldn't imagine how hurt he must feel.

"Why can't you heal her?" Teal asked quietly.

The Elf King sighed before answering. "Her heart is dying. I don't know why, and I can't fix it. I can only keep her alive for a little while."

"Is she in pain?" Teal imagined Clara's beautiful pace, contorted with discomfort and felt a sick feeling in her stomach.

"No."

The Elf King turned swiftly and strode back to his tent, leaving Teal worried and confused.

Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I had a while to think it over and decide where the plot is headed so hopefully you all will enjoy it. I'm probably going to update again within the next couple of days. Thank you all for reading!


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